Volume 7, Issue 6 Take time to connect with the poor. April 2019 The Padre Pio Secular Franciscan Fraternity The Community of St. Francis in Raleigh, NC Brothers and Sisters of St. Francis Region

Your Council wishes you a Holy, Joyful Easter

It is still Lent for 19 more days. “Patience obtains all things.” St Teresa of Avila

Council Members Stations of the Cross, Lourdes, France

Spiritual Assistant: Fr. Steve Kluge, OFM

Minister: Victoria Romero, OFS

Vice Minister: Lee Cunningham, OFS

Formation Director: S. Lynn Oeser, OFS

Treasurer Louis Coker, OFS March 24, 2019 Gathering

Secretary: Father Steve Kluge, OFM provided a ‘Mini-Retreat’ presentation of Michael Hancock OFS his Stations of the Cross and Social Justice. Examples of prayers at the end of stations1, 5, and 7 are: Councilors: 1. Crucified Lord, help us to remember that you love Ellen Ferrone, OFS everyone. And in remembering, give us the courage to treat Suzie Nelson, OFS everyone as your image and likeness no matter how they act. Maureen Copan, OFS 5. Lord, I see so many bad things going on in the world, show me (Appointed) which of these things I should get actively involved in. 7. Sometimes we fall and fail. Help us to get up and begin again so BSSF Region Minister: that in the end it may be said we have done something good. DorothyAnn Rowland, OFS Theresa Flynn shared her journey. Then after fellowship Area 3 Councilors : and birthday celebrations and Bob Pearson, OFS business of the fraternity, we Carolyn Peruzzi, OFS prayed St. Francis’ Little Office of the Passion for Lent. We are on the web at: Pictured left are the March birthday members: Suzie http://ofscentralnc.org Nelson, OFS, David Shick, OFS and Gladys Whitehouse, .

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Apostolates Oak City Cares For JPIC & Oak City On March 31, 2019, our wonderful Oak City Outreach, Email Ellen 03/23/2019 Outreach Center has Ferrone, OFS come to the end of its life as we know it. OCOC is 04/27/2019 Those who have served See article to the right there, prepared meals, donated items and prayed for us know it’s For CPO or Library: been an amazing and Email Maureen Copan, OFS often transformative ministry. Some will For Hospitality: miss it for its simplicity and messiness. Yet it is time to move on and relocate into the permanent facility of Oak City Cares, at 1430 S. Email Gladys Whitehouse, Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC 27603. OFS What will be the same? We will serve our usual dinner on the 4th Saturday of the month at 4pm. Hope more of you are open to joining us For Prayer Requests: there. Email Joanne Jacovec, OFS What’s new? The opportunity to volunteer at the Multi-Purpose Center Monday-Friday, in an array of activities. For the Scrapbook: Email * Do you have that welcoming Franciscan smile? Maybe Receptionist, Lee Cunningham, OFS Welcome and Hospitality Volunteer. * Do you always gravitate to the babies and children in the room? Family Recreation Area Volunteer. For Sunshine: * Just like to help in the laundry room? Basic Services Volunteer. Call Marge Zombek, OFS Oak City Cares will be managed by Catholic Charities working in For the Newsletter: Email partnership with many of the service providers in the community. This will allow for our guests to come to one central location, tell their story Frank Peluso, OFS once, and receive or be connected to the services they need.

For the Website: Email The services the Center will offer are: Medical and Behavioral Health, Sharon Winzeler, OFS Veterans, Street Outreach and Economic Assistance. Basic needs; Guest Mail Services, Laundry Services, Showers, http://ofscentralnc.org Access to: Computers, Public Phones and secure cell phone charging stations, Enrichment classes, such as: Employment and Ready to Rent classes.

Thank-you for all your generosity. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask Ellen Ferrone,OFS, JPIC Coordinator

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I love you this much! Hot Cross Buns: The pope had come to Assisi for the canonization of St. Francis in 1228. Sister Clare invited him to share her humble meal of stale bread, and when she blessed it, a cross miraculously appeared on the loaf.

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Holy Father’s April Intention “Palette”

Universal – Workers in War Zones. The world is one big Palette For doctors and their humanitarian full of mixed colors collaborators in war zones, who risk their mixed races, mixed cultures. lives to save the lives of others. The world is full of different ideas full of The Humble and The Intelligent,

How Beautiful in its own diversity is the world.

April Devotion White is too pale Black is too dark mixed together, they’re so subtle. profound The month of April is dedicated both to Rich is too selfish Poor is too weak, devotion to the Holy Eucharist and devotion lets make this Planet a Wise Men"s street, to the Holy Spirit. This tradition has where rich and poor together make ends meet. developed because Easter Sunday often falls in April. In essence, April is a month of BUDDHISTS are so SPIRITUAL Easter, and during the Easter celebration we MUSLIMS so RIGHT, so JUST. remember the Eucharistic sacrifice Christ PROTESTANTS, CATHOLICS so LOVING, together they shape the Best Rainbow, gave us and the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the best of our motherland out-coming which came after Jesus's resurrection. How wonderful is our Planet! we are in it but sometimes we don"t know IT. Happy April Birthdays Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims Black,White people, mixed races, April 13 all Human Beings Embraces Marge Zombek, OFS she"s Catholic, he"s Muslim April 29 they love one another their child was born Louis Coker, OFS so JUST ! like the father so LOVING! like the mother.

He"s rich, she’s poor together they married and they have it all a child wise, intelligent as the father kind, humble as the mother

Happy Profession Anniversaries whatever your color, your status, beliefs you are most needed to continue Gail Halada, OFS 4/5/04 Our Family Trees. The world is ONE BIG PALETTE, Christine Murray, OFS 4/16/96 full of colors all important and unique WHAT A LOVELY COLORFUL WORLD- Charmaine Chircop, 2009

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2. St. Francis of Paula, Priest, had been a tertiary before founding the Minims, the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi. (My cousin, Carla Steffen and her husband Mimmo Catera were married in his sanctuary - picture to the right. Mimmo took me there in 1994. - FEP) 4. Bl. Guillaume de Sicli, Confessor, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1404 5. St. Crescentia Hoess, Virgin, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1744 6. Bl. Angele Salawa, Virgin, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1922 During World War I, she worked in hospitals, tending prisoners of war without regard for their nationality. 14. Bl. Lidwyne de Schiedam, Virgin, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1433 She developed a devotion to the Eucharist. Given to ecstatic visions in which she was shown Heaven and Purgatory, participated in Christ’s Passion, and was visited by saints. Legend says that she had the gift of inedia, and that her only food for her last 19 years was the Eucharist. Profiled saints reported to have received this charism include: • Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, member of the Salesian Cooperators • Blessed Alphais of Cudot, counselor to Queen Adela of France. • Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian stigmatist • Blessed Elizabeth Achler, a Franciscan tertiary • Blessed Helen Enselmini, a Poor Clare nun • Blessed Menda Isategui, a Mercedarian nun • Saint Lydwina of Schiedam, a Franciscan tertiary • Saint Mary Ann de Paredes, a Dominican nun • Saint Nicholas of Flüe, a Swiss layman and hermit 16. St. Benedict-Joseph Labre, Confessor, Cordbearer, d. 1783. . 18. Holy Thursday 19. Good Friday 20. Easter Vigil 21. Easter Sunday Christ has truly risen, Alleluia 26. Bl. Pierre De Pethancourt, Priest, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1667 27. St. Zita of Lucca, Virgin, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1278 She became famous for helping the sick, the poor and the imprisoned. She was regarded locally as a saint soon after her death; that title was officially given to her in 1696. Zita is the patroness of domestic workers. 28. St. Paul of the Cross, Priest, had been a tertiary before founding or joining another religious Institute, d. 1775. 28. Bl. Luchesius, 1st Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1260 At Poggibonzi Francis visited Blessed Luchesio, with whom he had become acquainted through former business transactions. St Francis greatly rejoiced to find this avaricious man so altered, and Luchesio, who had already heard about the blessed activities of St Francis, asked for special instructions for himself and his wife, so that they might lead a life in the world that would be pleasing to God. St Francis then explained to them his plans for the establishment of an order for lay people; and Luchesio and Buonadonna asked to be received into it at once. Thus, according to tradition, they became the first members of the Order of Penance, which later came to be called the Third Order of St Francis. 30. St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, Priest, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1842 (See https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com)

“Surely they who believe and do good deeds and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate they shall have their reward from their Lord, and they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (The Cow 2.277) ~ Quran (poor-rate is a tax of 2.5%)

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For Francis' feast day in October, 1259, Bonaventure visited Mt. Alverna, the very place where Francis himself had received a mystical vision of Christ ”under the appearance“ of ”a Seraph having six wings“ and had had ”imprinted in his flesh“ the stigmata or wounds of Christ. Here Bonaventure conceived the idea for his Journey of the Mind to God (Itinerarium mentis in Deum), a mental and spiritual journey to God whose basic outline—though not its details—could be understood by even the simplest friar. The journey follows the route first charted by St. Augustine—from the exterior world to the interior mind, and from the interior but inferior human mind to the superior mind, namely, to God. Bonaventure allegorically understood the six wings of the to stand for six ways God can be approached and therefore arranged his Journey into seven chapters. The two lower wings of the Seraph symbolize seeing God through ”footprints (vestigia),“ signs in the sub-human world that point to God, including signs in the physical universe itself and signs found in the sensory life humans have in common with other animals. The two middle wings of the Seraph symbolize seeing God in his ”image,“ namely, in humans understood as bearing within their intellectual nature special signs pointing to God. Here Bonaventure distinguished signs of God found in the ”natural“ exercise of the mind in theoretical knowledge from those found in its exercise in the practical sphere ”reformed by grace.“ The two highest wings of the Seraph symbolize seeing God in himself, first in the way reason sees God as having one divine nature and then as faith sees God in the Trinity of persons. These three sets of twin ”steps“ culminate in the ”mental and mystical transport“ found in mystical experience, the end of the Journey. For each step, Bonaventure used material from earlier writings; but the Journey, like all his later works, is only a sketch the Minister General knew he would never have the leisure to complete. The result is his writing achieves a combination of scriptural imagery, philosophic depth, mystical yearning, and density more meditative than demonstrative. But the Journey does provide an appropriate outline for looking at Bonaventure's philosophy. See: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bonaventure/ #pagetopright ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Let us bind ourselves tightly to the Sorrowful Heart of our Heavenly Mother and reflect on its boundless grief and how precious is our soul. Lean on the Cross of Jesus as the Virgin did and you will not be deprived of comfort. Mary was as if paralyzed before her crucified Son, but one cannot say that she was abandoned by him. Rather how much more did she not love him when she suffered and could not even weep? Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother. Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendor.” - St. Padre Pio

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A Potluck Lenten Luncheon Our get-together on March 16, 2019 was at the home of Matt and Theresa Flynn, OFS who were very gracious hosts. It was a time to get to know each other better and exchange ideas. Maureen Copan, OFS stated, “There were 28 people who attended the Lenten Luncheon yesterday (03/16/19). (Popular guests were the dogs, River & Becket.) We had tomato soup, Italian wedding soup and turkey, rice and kale soup. There were green salads and a tortellini salad as well as quinoa. We had corn bread, Irish soda bread and Italian bread. For dessert we had hot cross buns, cupcakes and magic cookie bars. There was sweet and unsweetened tea as well as water to drink. It was great having everyone together.”

The passing of Sister Marie Beha, OSC

We are in solidarity with the Poor Clare nuns of Traveler’s Rest, SC as they mourn the passing of Sister Marie Beha, OSC into the arms of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. May St. Clare and St Francis welcome her. She died on March 20, 2019. “May the angels lead her into paradise; may the martyrs receive her at her arrival and lead her to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels receive Sister Marie and with Lazarus, once (a) poor (man), may she have eternal rest.”

"May almighty God bless you. May God look upon you with mercy and give you peace…" -Blessing of St. Clare

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